Face the Music tackles Michael Gordon’s epic Trance in a groundbreaking performance by the dynamic youth group. Rarely performed because of its size (22 players), length (52 minutes), and difficulty, Trance takes so-called classical music to the edge of heavy metal meltdown. Yes, you’ve listened to the CD, but live Trance is something to be experienced for the sheer volume of the sound.

ABOUT FACE THE MUSIC

The only youth ensemble in the U.S. dedicated to the creation and performance of music by living composers, the 200+ member Face the Music has taken its place as a full-fledged player in New York City’s vibrant contemporary classical scene, rapidly becoming what Allan Kozinn of the New York Times has called “€œa force in the New York new-music world.”€ In the space of ten years Face the Music has grown from an after-school club of eight kids to a massive group of over 135 students from all over the tri-state area who convene every week to write, rehearse, and perform music together. The ensemble advances Kaufman Music Center’s commitment to contemporary music and provides unparalleled performance and education experiences for the next generation of musical leaders.

Under the direction of Dr. Jenny Undercofler, Face the Music performs nearly 35 concerts each season in venues around the city ranging from schools to museums to concert halls. Highlights from recent seasons include performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Bang On A Can Marathon, the Ecstatic Music Festival, and the River to River Festival, where Face the Music opened for the Philip Glass Ensemble. Face the Music has collaborated with many professional artists, including the JACK Quartet, with whom they performed Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet at the Baryshnikov Arts Center last spring. Recently, Face the Music launched “€œKronos at Kaufman,”€ a major collaboration with the Kronos Quartet for the 2013-14 season.

About Composer Michael Gordon

Michael Gordon’s music merges subtle rhythmic invention with incredible power that embodies, in the words of The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, “the fury of punk rock, the nervous brilliance of free jazz and the intransigence of classical modernism.” Over the past 25 years, Gordon has produced a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging from large-scale pieces for high-energy ensembles, to major orchestral commissions, to works conceived specifically for the recording studio. His music consistently embraces a collision of mysterious introspection and brutal directness that defies categorization. Read More

Concerts will take place at 2pm and again at 4pm, and are free & open to the public, no RSVP needed.